


Baby Wanted

by tinyarmedtrex



Series: The Story of Us [3]
Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adoption!, Eddie has a lot of notes and anxiety, Georgie wants a sibling, M/M, Protective Richie Tozier, Stan & Mike are A+ parents, The chickens are still around, domestic reddie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-04-07 02:12:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinyarmedtrex/pseuds/tinyarmedtrex
Summary: Richie and Eddie go through the adoption process.





	1. The one with the decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you should probably read Georgie has 2 daddies first (but maybe I’m biased). But if you don’t want to a very short summary is that Richie & Eddie meet as adults and fall in love. Eddie has a son, Georgie, from his marriage to Myra. In this fic they’re recently married & have been together about two years (post prologue)

Prologue 

“Eds, baby, she smells so good. Have you smelled her?” Richie put his nose next to Samantha’s head, Stan and Mike’s baby, and inhaled. She had recently turned three weeks old, Eddie, Richie and Georgie were visiting for a long weekend before jumping back into the chaos of wedding planning. 

“I can’t say I have.” Eddie said, watching them with a small smile as he sat next to Richie on the couch. 

Richie carefully lifted her head to Eddie’s nose and he inhaled. “See? She smells so new and sweet.” Richie turned back to the baby, “Don’t you? As long as you don’t poop. Save that for your dads, okay?” She cooed in response and Richie grinned, nuzzling her with his cheek. Richie noticed that Eddie was watching him, a small smile on his lips. 

“What?” He asked, quickly kissing his fiance on the cheek. They had been engaged for nearly six months, with the wedding that fall. The planning was going well. Richie never thought he would care about wedding details but planning it with Eddie had been spectacular. Eddie had an eye for detail and he was constantly amazed by what Eddie found. Things were finally coming together and all the work was paying off. 

Eddie had been surprisingly calm throughout the planning process. His biggest concern was the guests enjoying themselves. Richie had tried to convince Eddie that the best way to ensure that was to have it in Vegas and got quickly vetoed. Instead, Eddie found a local park with a small building for the reception. It would be small and informal, exactly what they wanted. He was beyond excited. Especially since they had recently gotten to see Georgie in his small suit and pink tie. He was a total show stealer. Richie had joked that no one would even be looking at them, too preoccupied with Georgie and Bev’s kids. 

Eddie shrugged. “You with babies. I really underestimated how cute it would be.” 

Richie smiled back. “I’m great with other adorable things. We get each other. Sam and I have a bond.” He turned to the sleeping infant. “Don’t we little miss?” He nuzzled her again.  

Outside he saw Stan and Mike playing with Georgie. Richie was surprised that Stan hadn't come in to check on them. He was an absolute mother hen, not wanting to let the baby out of his sight and fretting when anyone held her.  He had already yelled at Richie twice for using baby talk, saying it was bad for her development. Richie had a feeling that Eddie had been the same with Georgie. Which may be why Stan trusted Eddie alone with her- and Richie by proxy. 

Mike was more relaxed, but still a predictably intense new parent. He was better about letting people hold her but still hovered and corrected things. He was good at putting a calming hand on Stan when he got overprotective, not that Stan would admit to needing it. Richie couldn’t blame either of them, after he held Sam for the first time he understood their concerns. 

Richie loved watching them. They were so unbelievably happy. Richie and Eddie had arrived yesterday and had already seen dozens of pictures of Samantha from every angle. Proud parents didn’t even begin to cover it. And they deserved it, the last trimester had been troubling, everyone was worried she would come prematurely. Stan and Mike had been in and out of the hospital for weeks. Everything ended up being fine but it definitely brought a new appreciation for a healthy baby. 

Eddie was still watching Richie, clearly thinking hard about something. “Spit it out hun, what’s on your mind?” Richie asked, kissing his furrowed brow. 

“Let’s do it.” Eddie said, looking from him to Samantha. 

“Do what babe?” 

“Let’s look into adopting. After the wedding.” 

Richie looked at him, a grin taking over his face. “Are you sure?” They hadn’t talked about it in a few months, preoccupied with the wedding, new chickens and life in general. Richie still wanted to, more than anything, but he had been waiting for Eddie to be ready. 

“I’m positive.” Eddie leaned over and kissed him, also grinning. 

“We’re going to be the best new parents.” Richie said proudly. “I got to practice on Bev’s kids. Got all my mistakes out on them.” 

“Just don’t let Georgie play you.” Eddie warned him. “He’ll use any advantage to get more toys.” He joked. Georgie wanted a sibling, as he frequently told Eddie and Richie. He wanted someone else to play with in his treehouse, and to help him make chicken outfits. 

“Of course not, I am a man of stone.” Samantha cooed and Richie felt his eyes well up. He wiped them as he told her, “Yes I am, right you tiny precious baby? Complete stone. Uncle Richie will protect you forever and ever.” 

Eddie laughed softly. “Absolute stone hun.” He put an arm around Richie, smiling at the baby and his fiance. 

 

8 months later 

“Well that agency was a bust.” Richie said, grabbing Eddie’s hand as they walked out.

“I’m so sick of the term ‘alternate lifestyle’.” Eddie grumbled, using finger quotes. This was the third adoption agency they had tried. All of them promised they were fine with gay couples but they kept droning on about how hard it was to fit a baby into an ‘unusual situation’ and how some birth parents weren’t comfortable with the idea of their baby going to a homosexual couple. All three times had ended with Richie yelling at the adoption agent and telling her that they were already raising a child and he was just fine, thank you very much.

Richie grabbed his new husband’s shoulders as they reached the car. Eddie looked so defeated. His head was hanging and he looked like he wanted to fold in on himself. It physically hurt Richie to see him like that, his stomach clenched as he watched him. 

He put a finger under Eddie’s chin, tilting his head up. “Listen, Eds, we’ll find an agency. Don’t worry. We can’t get discouraged. All this will be worth it when we have our baby.” He kissed Eddie gently.

Eddie fell into him, his arms wrapping around Richie. “I’m so sick of this. We can’t even find an agency. This is supposed to be the easy part.” He mumbled into Richie’s chest.

Richie stroked his hair, letting Eddie collapse into him. They stayed in the parking lot for a while, Richie telling Eddie that they would find an agency, that it would be fine, and Eddie nodding in agreement.  

“I know you’re right.” Eddie said on the drive home. “But I’m so tired.”

“We can take a break, if you want.” They had been spending a lot of time looking up agencies, reading reviews. It was exhausting. Richie knew Eddie was doing more research than him, he had found his husband on the computer late at night numerous times.

Eddie shook his head. “No, I don’t want that. I just want people to stop being assholes.” 

Richie reached for him again, rubbing the back of Eddie’s hand. “Can’t promise that babe. But I can promise that Georgie and I are always going to be there. And that we’ll find a non-shitty agency.” Richie wished he could offer more to Eddie. He hated the false tone of his voice, like he was trying to inject fake happiness into the situation. He knew that Eddie didn’t believe him. Richie barely believed himself, he had no idea that they would be met with so much resistance. 

Eddie exhaled, giving him a little smile. “Thanks hun.” 

The next day Richie decided he needed to do some research himself. He could tell that Eddie was near the end of his rope, and was worried that another rejection might make him want to give up. He started asking people at his office. He knew that some of them had adopted and he finally went to talk to them. They had been keeping things under wraps, Eddie was nervous about something going wrong, but Richie needed to talk to other people.  Researching online wasn’t his strong suit, but talking to other people was. 

“Hey Ashley.” He poked his head in the media relations office. “Got a minute?” He didn’t know her well but had been lead to her through a series of other people who told him that she and her wife had adopted last year. He didn’t even know she was gay until that day. 

“Sure Rich, what’s up?” 

Richie cringed at his least favorite nickname but sat down across from her, wanting to make a good impression. “I heard that you and your partner adopted a baby last year. I wanted to ask some questions, if that’s okay?” 

She nodded, turning a picture to Richie. It was her and another woman holding a small black baby. “We adopted Walter from Ethiopia.” 

Richie smiled. “He’s adorable.” 

“Thanks, he was so small when we got him. We had to feed him cream cheese for months.” She smiled fondly. “But he’s okay now, in the 80th percentile for size.” She said proudly. 

“That’s really fantastic.” 

She nodded, smiling at the picture before turning it back around. “Not that I mind talking about him but why do you ask?”

Richie explained his situation and Ashley nodded along, occasionally commenting. Her and her wife had had the same issues. She recommended the agency they used, plus another one that was smaller but tried to only help GLBTA couples. 

“And both do domestic adoptions?” Richie asked. Eddie felt strongly about having a local adoption. He wanted to be able to talk to the birth mother, to make sure she was taking all her pills and going to the doctor regularly. He had briefly tried to convince Richie to let the mother live with them so he could make sure she was eating well. Richie had put his foot down. He was generally indulgent what Eddie wanted but having a pregnant woman live with them for months was too much for him. 

Ashley nodded. “Yes, they both do domestic and international.” 

“Thank you.” He said, standing.  “You have no idea how helpful you’ve been. And how nice it is to talk to someone about it.” 

She stood too, pulling him into a sudden hug. “Anytime you want to talk, come find me. It’s a long process but it’s worth it.” 

Richie nodded, knowing she was right. He promised to have all of them over for dinner soon, knowing Eddie would adore them. 

He left, feeling better. Hearing that someone else had similar struggles was rough but it made him feel better. He hoped Eddie would feel the same once Richie filled him in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET’S DO THIS.
> 
> I wasn't going to post this yet but it's been rattling around in my head all week so yea, let's get this going.  
> I’m guessing this will be like 6/7 chapters (but then Georgie has two daddies was supposed to be 4 chap so I’m probably a liar).  
> If you read the epilogue there are some spoilers. Or maybe I changed things. Guess you’ll have to find out.


	2. The one where they find an agency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Let’s celebrate.” Richie said as they drove to pick up Georgie. “We’re in! Now we just need a knocked up teenager.”

“Okay Eds, remember, it’s okay if we don’t like this one either.” Richie told him as they stood outside the building, staring up at it. They had an appointment on the 9th floor with the agency Ashley had used. Richie was worried that Eddie was near giving up, tired from getting excited only to have his hopes dashed. His words were meant as much for him as they were for his husband.

“I know, I really hope we like it though.” Eddie said, looking nervously at Richie.

“Me too babe.” He kissed his cheek and they walked in.

Thirty minutes later they were sitting with an adoption agent. “So tell me, why do you want to adopt?” He asked after looking over their paperwork.

Eddie delivered their now-standard answer. “We have one son now, and he’s amazing. We both feel like we have a lot more love to give. And we’d like to share our home with a new child. It’s something we’ve talked a lot about, and budgeted for. We’d be willing to do an open adoption too, if that’s what the birth mother wants.”

The agent nodded. “Well, I know you two have been through the ringer with this. But I think we can help you, if you think we’re a good fit for you. We’ve got lots of connections with the GLBTA community and have helped others adopt. And I think we can accommodate your requests about the birth mother being local, though it may take longer. How does that sound?” He asked, folding his hands over his desk.

Richie heard Eddie exhale with relief. “That sounds amazing. We’re fine with it taking longer.” Eddie told him, his happiness and excitement was palatable. Richie could practically feel the stress draining from him. He nodded eagerly in agreement.

“Great! You probably know the next steps. You’ll have to do a home study. And then get a referral. Then we can start looking for your new baby.” He leaned into his desk, pulling out several pamphlets. “Would you like more information?”

Eddie shook his head and pulled papers out from his briefcase. “We actually already have the referral. And we’ve done a home study with another agency.”

“But we’re happy to do another one.” Richie added. They had done a study with another agency, before they told them how unrealistic it was for a child to be placed with them. Eddie had spent three days baking all of Richie’s and Georgie’s favorite treats after and refusing to talk about it. Richie had gained five pounds from the ordeal.

The agent accepted the documents, looking them over. “Well great! I’ll look these over and let you know what else we need. Then we’ll start finding the perfect addition to your family.” He stood, extending his hand. “Again, I’m Will, I’ll be working with both of you. I’d also like to meet Georgie at some point, if you’re comfortable.”

Both men stood, shaking his hand in turn. “I think that’s more than acceptable.” Eddie said. Richie put an arm around his shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

“We’ll be in touch. I’ll probably be calling a lot these next few weeks as we gather all the documents and information that we need.”

“Thank you.” Richie said, shaking his hand and wishing he could better express how thankful he was. Will had been wonderful, answering their questions and giving them a realistic idea of what to expect. Eddie seemed to be holding in his joy, like he couldn’t let himself believe it yet. Richie understood the concern but he really felt like this was finally their agency.

Outside he looked down at Eddie. “Well?” He wanted to know what Eddie thought before saying anything himself.

“It’s really happening Richie, this is our agency.” Eddie said, smiling broadly, his voice thick with emotion.

Richie whooped and picked his husband up, spinning and kissing him. Eddie laughed in his arms. “Finally!” Richie said, putting him down and kissing him again.

“I feel good about this, I liked Will and the agency has a good track record. And they actually had some gay couples on their posters!” Eddie said, listing out his reasons. Richie loved how excited his husband looked, it was like when they had first started looking and were full of hope. He loved seeing the spark back in Eddie’s eyes.

“Now we wait.” Richie said, grabbing his hand as they walked to their car.

The next month was a flurry of phone calls and visits from social workers. It felt like people were constantly calling them to ask one more question, or to check another fact. Georgie was interviewed, the agency wanted to be sure he was on board too.

“I think you’re finally ready.” Will told them when they were back in his office 6 weeks later. “Now, you’re sure you want a boy? And you’d prefer an unborn child? It’ll be a shorter wait if you consider toddlers or older.”

Eddie shook his head firmly. “No, we want to be able to help the birth mother.” Richie had thought the drawn out process would make Eddie willing to compromise but if anything it only make him more resolute. 

“We’ll be in contact then.” Will said. Richie reminded himself to get him a fruit basket or something when all of this was over. For all the questions as they answered Eddie had asked twice as many, trying to find out everything he could. Richie was only slightly concerned about a potential birth mother turning tail and running from Eddie’s intensity.

“Let’s celebrate.” Richie said as they drove to pick up Georgie. “We’re in! Now we just need a knocked up teenager.”

Eddie hit his shoulder. “Don’t call the mother of our potential child that.” He tsk’ed but Richie saw that he was smiling.

They picked up Georgie and decided to go out for ice cream. Georgie picked a bright blue flavor that probably tasted terrible, Eddie wrinkled his nose at the decision but let him happily accept the cone. Eddie got strawberry and sighed as Richie picked the same flavor as Georgie had.

“Really? That’s the kid flavor.” Eddie said as they sat outside.

“It has gummy bears. And M&M’s Eds. Who can say no to that?” Richie stuck his tongue out. “And muh tongue is blue.”

Eddie laughed, kissing his cheek. “Dork.”

Richie looked down to Georgie, who was examining his dripping cone. “How are you feeling buddy? Excited for a sibling?”

Georgie was carefully picking out the gummy bears to eat later and looked up at Richie, nodding happily. “Yes! Do I get to name him? Like the chickens?”

Richie and Eddie exchanged a glance. “Maybe, what name would you pick?” Richie asked.

Georgie pursed his lips, thinking hard. The ice cream was dipping down his hand by the time he gave name.

“Frank.” He supplied. Richie tried not to smile at the seriousness of his tone.

Eddie did a better job, responding as Richie hid his laugh behind his hand. “Well, maybe, we’re going to come up with some names too. We can all talk about it together.”

Georgie nodded before returning to his ice cream.

“Your son picks out old man names.” Richie said to Eddie, still trying not to laugh.

“At least he doesn’t want to name him after Star Wars characters.”

“Hey! Obi-Wan is a very recognizable name! No one else would have it!”

Eddie rolled his eyes and kissed Richie’s cheek. “Veto.” He said, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments! I’m excited that everyone is excited! 
> 
> Alright, they've got an agency. Now the story can really start!
> 
> Also I updated my username to match my tumblr. I’ve wanted to for a while and I thought since I’m in the middle of some fics it would be the least confusing time.


	3. The one with the good news!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie looked at him, nodding. “Sorry. I just, Richie, what if she picks us? We could be bringing home little Wallace in six months!”  
> Richie grimaced slightly. “Wallace huh? Did you veto Jean-Luc then?”

Richie was sitting on the couch, watching a show while he waited for Eddie to finish dinner. He had been trying to help but Eddie threw him out after his fifth Gordon Ramsay impression.

Not long after, Eddie sat next to him, offering him a bowl of food. “What are you watching?” He asked, looking quizzically at the screen.

“16 and pregnant.” Eddie gave a long suffering look that made him chuckle. “I told you, I want to be able to talk to the eventual birth mother in her language.” Richie gestured at the TV where a very pregnant teen was chewing out her boyfriend for staying out late. Richie had agreed not to use ‘baby mama’ anymore on the condition that Eddie would stop pitching what Richie referred to as ‘grandpa names’ for the eventual baby.

Eddie sighed. “Seriously Richie, I’m going to meet the her on my own if you’re like this.” It was, so far, an empty threat. They hadn’t met with any birth moms yet. It had only been about two months and they had been warned it could be a very long wait with Eddie’s requirements. It hadn’t stopped Eddie from trying to plan everything out for when they did get a potential adoptee.

“No, you need me. We’re bae.” Richie told him, grinning.

“I, I don’t think that’s how you use that.” Eddie replied, confused.

“I’m bae?” Richie tried again, making Eddie laugh. Richie place his food on the coffee table and pressed a kiss to his neck. “I have a bae?” He asked, kissing Eddie again. “One of those has to be right.”

Eddie put his food down, turning to Richie and smiling. “You’re embarrassing.”

“I’m your embarrassment.” He said, kissing Eddie lips before slowly sliding his mouth down Eddie’s neck. It was a rare Friday where Georgie was at a sleepover and they had no plans. He wanted to make the best of it. Eddie responded with a happy sigh, wrapping his arms around Richie’s neck. RIchie pulled Eddie on top of him, enjoying the familiar weight of his husband and running his hands down his back.

“I’m never going to get sick of kissing you.” Richie said, tucking some of Eddie’s hair behind his ear.  

Eddie smiled at him. “I hope not, we’ve only been together two years.”

Richie started kissing Eddie’s neck again while unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ll feel the same when it’s twenty.” He told him, working his way down, leaving wet kisses while Eddie started grinding against him. “Or thirty.” Eddie’s eyes were closed and his hands were threaded in Richie’s hair. “Or fifty. I should have put that in my vows.”

Eddie laughed. “I think your comment about promising to only use your tongue for good and never for evil was enough.”

He chuckled into Eddie’s chest. “Come on, most people didn’t know what I meant.”

“Our friends did!” Eddie replied.  “Bill came up to me after, laughing about how of course you managed to sneak in a sex joke.”

“Ah, it was a tame one.” Any further retort from Eddie was cut off as Richie took one of Eddie’s nipples in his mouth and swirled it with his tongue. Eddie gasped, arching into his mouth.

Richie was working his way down over to Eddie’s other nipple when he heard a familiar song. Eddie was instantly off him and running for the kitchen. “Maybe they have some news!” He called back. Both had assigned the adoption agency a special ringtone. For Eddie it was ‘Magic Dance’ by David Bowie. Richie had ‘Anybody Else but You’. He told everyone it was because they were like the couple in Juno, just less dysfunctional, but really the song reminded him of Eddie and their small, hopefully growing, family.

“Hello?” Eddie said breathlessly. Richie walked after him, only a little annoyed to have been interrupted. He leaned against their counters, watching his husband.

“No, no it’s not too late.” He was saying. They had been talking to the agent about once a week, just to check in. Usually he called during the day, this was the first time he had called after hours.

“Wait? Really?” Eddie’s voice filled with excitement and he looked at Richie, his eyes growing wide. “And she wants to meet us?”

“What? What happened?” Richie asked, leaning forward to try and listen. A smile appeared on his face and Richie tried again. “Eds? Baby, what?” He was trying not to get too excited but Eddie’s tone made him hopeful.

“Yes, yes of course. Yes we can meet her tomorrow.” Eddie was nodding. ‘A mom!’ he mouthed. Richie felt his mouth drop, not believing it.

“Okay, yes, please email me the details. That would be amazing. Thank you! Yes, yes, you too!” Eddie hung up, beaming at Richie. “A birth mom wants to meet us! Tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?” He repeated dumbly. 

Eddie nodded, “Is that okay?” He must have seen the shock on Richie’s face. Some of his excitement disappeared and he grabbed Richie’s hands. “Is it too soon?”

“She wants to meet us tomorrow?” Richie asked again and Eddie nodded slowly.

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned. 

Something finally clicked and a wide grin overtook his face. “That’s fantastic!” He said, pulling Eddie into a hug and dancing a little jig. "A birth mom! Already!"

Eddie pulled back, looking up at him with some trepidation. “You’re sure? You looked a little shell shocked.” He said carefully.

Richie kissed him, “I’m so damn sure. It just doesn’t feel real, you know? We weren't expecting this yet." 

Eddie bobbed his head. “I know! It’s so soon!” He paused again, “Are you ready?”

“To raise a baby with you? Eddie, I’ve been ready since I saw you on that bus.” He brought Eddie’s hands to his mouth, kissing his knuckles, trying to convey his very earnest excitement. “I want this. I can’t believe someone wants to meet us!” He was alternating between squeezing Eddie’s hands and excitedly shaking them. His shock had disappeared and he was thrilled. It didn't feel real. 

“I know!” Eddie nodded, believing him. “Love, this is happening!”

Richie kissed him again, having too much nervous joy to do much else. “What else did Will say?”

“Her name is Meredith. She lives in one of the suburbs. She’s about three months pregnant, so she doesn’t know the sex yet but it sounds like the father’s family has a long history of boys.” Eddie listed. “He’s going to email me some other details. She sounds perfect!”

“She does!” Richie agreed. Both had broad grins on their faces. Eddie was practically glowing, Richie had only seen him like this on their wedding day. "Eds, this could be our baby." He said softly. Eddie nodded and Richie could see he was trying not to cry. Richie felt tears prick at his eyes and pulled Eddie close again, holding him tight. "Our baby!" He repeated. 

“Well, she still has to pick us. And we have to pick her.” Eddie reminded him, but he was having a hard time containing his joy. “Oh! We’ll need to pick Georgie up early! I’ll text the parents.” He turned to his phone, talking hurriedly to himself. “Should we bring something? What should we bring? Pickles and ice cream? No, maybe something healthy? Vitamins? She’s taking prenatal vitamins right? She ought to be.”

RIchie chuckled at his husband. Of course his enthusiasm would turn into planning. Eddie finished his text and Richie grabbed his hands again. “We’ll bring flowers.” He suggested, trying to derail any panic.

Eddie looked at him, nodding. “Sorry. I just, Richie, what if she picks us? We could be bringing home little Wallace in six months!”

Richie grimaced slightly. “Wallace huh? Did you veto Jean-Luc then?” Eddie refused to pick out a star wars name so Richie had moved to star trek. It wasn’t going any better.

“Yes, we live in Seattle, not France.” Eddie said, still grinning.

“Well, luckily we have a few months to agree on a name.” Richie said, picking Eddie up and putting him in the counter before slotting himself between Eddie’s legs. “For now though, we should celebrate.” He said, starting to kiss Eddie’s chest again.

“We don’t have anything ready! Can we have a baby shower? What’s the protocol here? We should ask Bev and Ben to host, they’d be great at it.”

Eddie was still in planning mode and Richie laughed, moving back. “Do you want to make some lists babe?”

Eddie nodded guiltily. “Yes. Kinda. I’m sorry.”

Richie kissed him soundly on the lips. “It’s okay. Go make your lists.” He said, gesturing to the office while moving aside.

Eddie hopped off the counter and kissed Richie again. “I love you! I can’t believe this is happening!”

Richie was trying not to let himself get too excited but it was too late, Eddie’s excitement was infectious. It felt like the first real step.

Eddie started walking to the office and Richie called out, “Hey hun, how old is the birth mom?”

Eddie paused before answering. “16. Please be nice to her.”

“Time for more research then.” Richie said, returning to his show. Eddie joined him on the couch with his laptop and a notebook, both trying not to get too excited for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie’s song is the one from Labyrinth, if for some reason you don’t know all the David Bowie songs.
> 
> Also, I appreciate 16 & pregnant. I’m super impressed by how honest it is, and how it doesn’t glorify teen pregnancy so I hope Richie doesn't come across as dismissive. But we all know that he would watch it to try to connect with the birth mother and then just embarrass himself.


	4. The one with the meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Please, sit.” Eddie said. “Can we buy either of you something to drink? Coffee? Well, not coffee for Meredith obviously. Since she’s pregnant. You haven’t been drinking it, right? Maybe you never drink it anyway. I guess I don’t know. We brought you flowers. I hope you’re not allergic. Georgie picked out the bouquet. Blue is his favorite color so that why there’s so many blue ones.” He looked at Richie. “Please make me stop talking.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I put that she was 18 in the last chap. She’s 16. Idk if it really matters but it’s been updated.

“Okay Georgie, now remember, we need to be nice to them. Be on your best behavior, like you are with grandma.” Eddie said as he adjusted Georgie’s bow tie for the third time. 

Richie put a, hopefully, reassuring hand on his husband’s shoulder. “Hun, relax. You’re freaking him out.” He said quietly. They were waiting at a coffee shop to meet Meredith and her mom, who were ten minutes late. It was causing Eddie to panic, which was making Georgie panic too. He kept anxiously looking from Eddie to Richie, not fully understanding why both were acting strange but looking concerned about it. 

“I am not!” Eddie snapped and Richie moved back slightly, wanting to give Eddie space.  Eddie’s face immediately softened as he turned to Richie. “I’m sorry. I am. I’m so anxious.” Richie saw the concern etched on his face. 

He leaned in and gently kissed one of the worry lines. “I know, me too. But if it doesn’t work out we’ll try again. This is the first birth mother we’ve met. It’s okay if it doesn’t go well.” He said, taking Eddie’s hands. “Plus, come on, she’ll love us. We’re that adorable gay couple everyone wants to know and have over for a barbeque.” 

Eddie gave him a small smile and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “You’re right, you’re right.” He turned to Georgie. “Sorry kiddo, dad is just nervous.”

The boy nodded, relaxing as his dad did. “Do you want to color with me?” He asked, offering Eddie a crayon. 

Eddie smiled. “Yes I do.” He put an arm over Georgie and helped him color a picture of a turtle. Richie rubbed small circles in Eddie’s back and watched as his shoulders lost some of their tension. 

They were explaining how long turtles can live when two women walked up to them. Richie looked up, taking in their appearance. They shared similar sharp features and an intense look. The older woman carried herself with confidence as she strode to their table. The other, a teen, was straggling behind.  “Are you the Kaspbrak’s?” The older woman asked. 

Eddie and Richie both jumped up, saying “Yes!” at the same time. They smiled at each other and Richie nodded for Eddie to continue. “Yes, yes we are. I’m Eddie. This is my husband Richie, and our son Georgie.” The boy looked up at them, giving them one of his adorable smiles. He had recently lost his first tooth from the top middle of his mouth, and it only added to his endearing smile. Richie silently patted himself on the back for bringing him. 

The older woman nodded her head, “I’m Sarah, this is my daughter Meredith.” She indicated to the teen behind her, who was watching them from behind long, dark hair. 

“Please, sit.” Eddie said. “Can we buy either of you something to drink? Coffee? Well, not coffee for Meredith obviously. Since she’s pregnant. You haven’t been drinking it, right? Maybe you never drink it anyway. I guess I don’t know. We brought you flowers. I hope you’re not allergic. Georgie picked out the bouquet. Blue is his favorite color so that why there’s so many blue ones.” He looked at Richie. “Please make me stop talking.” 

Richie covered Eddie’s hand with his own, giving it a quick squeeze as he looked at the two women. “My husband babbles when he’s nervous.” Eddie mouthed a ‘thank you’ to him. “But would you like a drink?”

“I’ll have tea, please.” Sarah said, sitting across from them. She looked to her daughter, prompting her to say something. 

After a beat Meredith asked, “Can I have a soda?” She had settled into a chair and was leaning back, her arms crossed. Richie couldn’t tell if she was nervous or didn’t want to be there. 

He nodded. “I’ll be right back.” Richie said, walking to the line to order. 

When he returned Sarah was explaining the situation. “So Meredith’s boyfriend wants her to keep the baby. But they’re both so young. And need to go to college. She’s not ready to be a mom yet. And we saw your bio, you two seem to have so much to offer.”

Richie set their drinks in front of them as he sat. “Well, thank you for agreeing to meet with us. We’re thrilled.” Eddie said, still nervous about saying the wrong thing. Richie grabbed his hand under the table, threading their fingers together and running his thumb over Eddie’s. “Do you have any questions for us?”

Sarah looked at Meredith and gave her a quick nod, encouraging her to speak up. “Would you really let me see my baby?”

Eddie nodded. “If that’s what you want, we’d have to schedule visit and everything. But, yes.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay.” She sat back, drinking her soda. It seemed that she was done with the interaction.  

Her mom leaned forward, “Well, I have several questions. You’ve indicated that Georgie is your biological child, can you guarantee he won’t always come first?” Her voice was clipped, like she was annoyed with them. Richie couldn’t tell if she was hostile or just concerned. 

Eddie looked at Richie, she had picked a gut punch as the first question. “Well,” Richie started. “I can tell you that we’ve talked about it and I don’t think that will be an issue. We’ve looked into classes for adoptive parents, for that issue. And we’ve talked extensively about how to handle it. And Georgie wants a sibling, he would never treat them poorly.” Richie hoped it was a satisfactory answer. 

Sarah nodded slowly. “Good, okay.” She pulled out a list questions. “Meredith came up with these earlier, you don’t mind?” 

Both shook their heads. They spent the next hour answering questions and asking a few. Sarah never warmed up to them, continuing to ask short questions and looking vexed whenever Georgie did something. Meredith had pulled out her phone and Richie couldn’t tell if she was even listening. They had to cut the meeting short when Georgie got tired and started crumbling a muffin into the floor, which made Sarah shoot a glare at them. 

“It was really great to meet you.” Eddie said, reaching out his hand while holding a cranky Georgie by the collar. He was minutes away from a fit. “Sorry to leave so abruptly.”

Sarah shook his hand, “Don’t worry. Some kids can be unwieldy.” She glanced at Meredith, who didn’t deign to look up. 

“We’ll be in touch.” She said, shaking Richie’s hand. 

They left, Richie picking up Georgie as he collapsed to the floor, crying. “Georgie, kiddo, we can’t let you grind baked goods into the carpet. It’s bad form.” Richie was telling him as he strapped the wailing boy into his car seat. 

“How do you think it went?” Richie asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

Eddie pursed his lips. “I’m not sure. Sarah is...intense. And Meredith seemed annoyed.”

“You should have let me ask her about vine and snapchat.” Richie said, “She would have opened up them. Gotta speak to the youth on their level.” 

Eddie shook his head, pulling out of the parking. “Thank you for resisting. What do you think?”  

Richie wasn’t sure. If he was being honest, he didn’t think it went very well. Sarah hadn’t seemed to like them very much. They had hoped Georgie would be their ace in the hole but he had been tired and bored, and therefore slightly cranky. He had been running behind Richie and Eddie for most of the meeting, until he decided to dirty the carpet.

But he didn’t want to tell Eddie that. He was already stressed. “I think it went well.” He said, putting a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. 

Eddie gave him a quick smile. “You’re lying. But I appreciate it.” 

“Did you like them?” Richie asked. The agency constantly reiterated that both sides needed to pick each other. 

Eddie strummed his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. “I’m not sure. Meredith didn’t really talk enough for me to know. But I liked everything that Will sent us about them.”

Richie nodded. He felt the same, it had been hard to get to know Meredith with her mom there. She had been distant, willing to let her mom control the meeting. Richie didn’t blame her, it couldn’t be any easier for her than it was for them. But it was disappointing. 

“It’s our first meeting, it’s okay if it doesn’t work.” Eddie nodded but Richie could sense his disappointment. He kissed Eddie on the cheek and changed the conversation, both silently agreed not to talk about the meeting anymore.

A few days later Richie was checking his email when he saw one from  [ bugheadluver24@gmail.com ](mailto:bugheadluver24@gmail.com) . He almost deleted it as spam but decided to open it, fully knowing if he got a virus Eddie would never let him hear the end of it. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t spam. It was an email from Meredith. A long email. Asking more about Georgie, Richie’s music and Eddie’s cooking. She had been listening. And had read their file. Richie was stunned for a moment then his excitement caught up with him and he knew he needed to show Eddie. 

“Eds!” Richie screamed from the office. “Hun!!” 

“What?” Eddie called back. “I’m helping Georgie!” 

Richie grabbed his laptop and brought it to the kitchen. “You need to read this.” He told Eddie, shuffling back and forth as he did. A smile appeared on Eddie’s face as he read. 

When he finished he looked up at Richie. “Maybe we didn’t strike out as bad as we thought.” 

Richie nodded, grinning back. It was the first they had heard from them since the meeting, both had still been avoiding the subject. “I’ll respond?”

“Please don’t say bae. Or use any emoticons.” Eddie asked.

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.” Richie pulled up a chair next to Eddie, typing as Eddie helped Georgie with his math. He gave Eddie final approval before sending, attaching a few pictures of Georgie with the chickens and Eddie’s baking creations.

To their delight, Meredith kept emailing them that week, telling them more about herself and asking them other questions. She even made a few jokes. 

Richie turned to Eddie in bed, showing him the newest email, which came with a string of emojis and gifs. “I think she likes us Eds.”

Eddie smiled, kissing Richie’s cheek. “Of course she does. You asked her about Riverdale. We’re in.” Richie had binged the show once he figured out what her email meant and the two had been talking about it since. 

“My ability to memorize all things pop culture is finally coming in handy.” He said, putting his head on Eddie’s chest while Eddie carded his fingers through Richie’s hair.

“Mm, I wouldn’t go that far. But I am glad you’re the one emailing her.” Eddie told him. Richie nodded, closing his eyes at Eddie’s actions. 

“She might really be the one.” Eddie said quietly, like he was worried saying it loudly would make everything disappear. They had been talking around it, neither wanting to admit that this felt like the real deal. They both liked Meredith a lot, and she seemed to like them. Richie’s heart soared whenever a new email came in. 

“I know.” He agreed, his voice low too. He didn’t want to break the spell either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because when you get 14 inches of snow and are supposed to get 6 more there’s not much you can do besides add some baileys to your coffee and update some fics. 
> 
> I love Riverdale. My oldest niece watches it too and I love talking to her about it and all the dra-ma!


	5. The one with the shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Really?” He asked, his bottom lip quivering. “She, she did? She picked us?”

On a lazy Saturday, Richie was practicing guitar while Eddie took a post run shower. Georgie was at Bev’s house, they were picking him up in an hour and all going out for lunch. Bev was determined to distract them from adoption news. 

They hadn’t heard anything official from the agency but were still emailing with Meredith. Richie tried to convince himself that not hearing anything was probably good news but in reality he was worried. They had received a few questions from Sarah via Will, mostly ones about how they would raise the baby. Eddie refused to let Richie answer them, insisting that teaching the baby to speak Klingon would not impress them. 

They had met with two other families, both further away than Meredith, and hadn’t felt a strong connection. Both were stressed but didn’t want to admit it to the other. Bringing it up felt fruitless, there wasn't anything to say that hadn’t been said.  Bev had told Richie they were nearing wallowing territory and needed to focus on something else. Richie knew she was probably right but it was easier said than done. Both were holding onto hope that Meredith would pick them. 

_ You're a part time lover and a full time friend  _ Richie’s phone started ringing. 

He heard the song and leapt up, running to answer. “Hello?” 

“Richie, it’s Will. Is this a bad time?” 

“Not at all.” He replied, trying not to assume the worst. Or best. Or anything. His heart rate had sped up with anticipation. “What’s up?”

“Well, we heard back from Meredith and her mom.” Richie’s stomach clenched. 

“And?” 

“If you two are still interested, they’d love to have you adopt her baby.” 

Richie dropped his phone, completely stunned. He heard Will’s voice calling out, asking if he was okay. Richie scrambled to pick it up. “Hi, yes sorry. Say that again?”

Will chuckled. “They’d love for you to adopt Meredith’s baby. Assuming you feel like they’re a good match?” 

“Yes!” He replied a little forcefully. “Sorry, uh, yes. That’s amazing. We’d love to!” 

Will chuckled at his excitement. “I thought that would be your answer. Now, you’ll both need to swing by the office and fill out some paperwork…”

“Can we hash out the details later?” Richie interrupted. “I need to tell Eddie.” Richie knew he would be beside himself with excitement. 

“Yes, yes, of course.” He could hear Will’s smile. “We’ll talk soon.”

“Great, thank you! For everything, you’ve been a huge help.” Richie told him earnestly. Will had been amazing throughout the whole process. 

“Of course, I’m happy to do it. One more thing- congratulations! Meredith made a great choice.” 

“Thank you!” Richie said, hanging up. He took a second to absorb the news. Richie felt a huge smile overtake his face. Finally! They did it, they were getting their baby. It felt surreal. 

He ran up the stairs and into their bedroom. He could hear the shower and raced into the bathroom, flinging open the shower door.

“Richie! What the fuck!” Eddie screamed, backing into a corner out of surprise. 

Richie stripped down to his boxers and went into the shower, grabbing Eddie’s face. “Eds, Eds, she picked us. She picked us!” He exclaimed, peppering him with kisses. 

Eddie looked astonished. “Wait, who? What?” He asked, not understanding. 

Richie kissed him. “Meredith! She wants us to adopt her baby. Eds, we found our baby!”

Eddie’s eyes widened and he smiled as comprehension dawned on him. “Really?” He asked, his bottom lip quivering. “She, she did? She picked us?” 

Richie nodded vigorously. “Yea babe, she did.” 

Eddie flung his arms around Richie, kissing him. “We’re getting our baby!” He squealed. Richie took in the pure joy in Eddie’s face and savored it, wanting to remember this for forever. 

“We’re getting our baby.” Richie agreed, capturing Eddie’s mouth in another kiss. “It all paid off, all the time and research. Everything was worth it.” He moved his hands to the back of Eddie’s neck, tilting his head up. “We did it.” 

“Your pop culture research did it. It convinced Meredith.” Eddie said, his hands on Richie’s hips, pulling him closer as he smiled up at his husband. 

Richie shook his head. “No way, it was the picture of the cake you made for Bill. It sealed the deal.” He whispered, moving down to kiss his neck. Eddie had made an elaborate cake that looked like one of Bill’s books and mailed it to him. 

“Fine. Both of us did it.” Eddie said. “We’re actually getting our baby.” He moved his head, giving Richie better access as his hands moved up to Richie’s hair, lightly tugging it. He let out a low groan as Richie sucked on a sensitive spot on his neck. 

“We should celebrate.” Richie told him, letting his hands wander down Eddie’s chest, palms pressed against him. 

“Thought that’s what we were doing now.” Eddie replied cheekily. 

Richie ground into him, both letting out small moans as their erections touched through Richie’s soaked boxers. Richie would never get tired of hearing the little noises Eddie made, they drove him crazy. 

“You’re right, my mistake.” Richie said, pressing another soft kiss to Eddie’s neck. 

Eddie dragged his hands down to Richie’s boxers. “Why did you leave these on?” He murmured as he snapped the elastic, surprising Richie. 

“I just came in to share the good news. Wanted to keep it PG.” He said as Eddie’s hands slid under Richie’s damp boxers and up his thighs, pausing right before he touched Richie. 

“Oh well, we can stop then. Keep it PG.” Eddie joked, removing his hands. 

“Nope. Not an option anymore,” Richie said as he ground into Eddie again. Eddie let out a low moan as Richie gripped his ass, his fingers circling the tight furl of muscle.

“Oh god, Richie.” Eddie’s voice was already light and breathless. 

“Be right back.” Richie ran out before Eddie could respond and grabbed the lube from their beside, not caring that he dripped all over their floor. He stripped off his boxers before jumping back in the shower, where Eddie was lazily stroking himself. “Hey, that’s my job.” Richie told him. Eddie smirked and stopped, holding his hands up. Richie captured his lips in a long kiss as he coated a finger in lube and slowly inserted it into him. Eddie let out a low groan, his hands moving back to Richie’s hair. 

“What hun?” He asked, reveling in the breathy sounds that Eddie’s was making as his finger moved. . 

“You feel so amazing.” Eddie said, letting his head fall to Richie’s chest, grinding himself onto his finger.

Richie added another one, crooking his fingers. “So do you.” He told Eddie, kissing his neck. Eddie wrapped his hand around Richie and started making long, slow strokes, his other hand still tangled in Richie’s hair. Richie keened into him, savoring that Eddie knew the exact pressure and speed he wanted. 

Richie added a third finger and Eddie grunted into him. “In here? Or the bed?” Richie asked, knowing the Eddie was nearly ready. 

“Here,” Eddie said, starting to kiss Richie’s collarbone. “Now.” 

“So demanding, I love it.” Richie removed his fingers and turned Eddie around, pausing to admire him. “God Eds, you’re so gorgeous.” He said, running his hands down Eddie’s back and cupping his ass. The water flowed over him and Richie watched how his muscles tensed as Richie touched him.

“Richiiiiee.” Eddie moaned, pushing himself against Richie and rubbing. 

“Just one second.” Richie coated himself in lube and aligned himself, taking one more long look at his husband before pushing into him, both groaning. Richie gave Eddie time to adjust before he started thrusting. His hand snaked around to grab Eddie, running his hand over the velvety skin.  Eddie was braced against the shower, his hips pushed back. 

Richie had intended to take his time, and enjoy the wet Eddie, but his husband had other ideas. Eddie started bucking his hips back against Richie, their skin slapping together. “Eds, I’m really not going to last if you do that.” Richie gritted out, his other arm wrapped around Eddie’s hips to pull him close.

“But you feel so good inside me.” Eddie moaned, not slowing his pace. “How can I slow down?” 

“You’re going to be the death of me.” Richie told him, leaning against him to kiss Eddie’s back. 

“Faster.” Eddie demanded. Richie compiled, his hips snapping against Eddie. He felt Eddie tense, his breaths coming quicker, and he knew he was close. Richie slid a finger over his slit and Eddie came, white liquid spurting on the shower wall. 

“ _ Fuck _ babe.” Richie grunted. He pulled Eddie close and bit his back as his own orgasm ripped through him, turning his legs to jelly. He held Eddie there for a beat, both breathing loudly, and kissed his shoulder blade before pulling out. 

Eddie leaned against the wall, Richie falling onto him. He nuzzled Eddie’s hair with his nose. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” Eddie said lazily. 

“We probably won’t get to do this as much once the baby is here.” Richie told him, leaving soft kisses on Eddie’s shoulders.

“Disappointing.” Eddie murmured. “But I’m okay with that trade off.”

Richie nodded into him. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyy I finally figured out how long this is. We're halfway through!


	6. The one with the baby prep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie moved a little, looking down at Richie. “Soon you’ll have three humans to carry.”
> 
> Richie nodded, propping his chin on Eddie’s chest. “I can’t wait.”

“We are not doing a gender reveal.” Richie told Bev for the third time. 

“Richie, darling, why not?” She asked. Richie could tell she was driving while talking to him, she would occasionally curse at another car or lay on her horn.

He sighed, she already knew all the reasons but kept insisting that it would be fun. SInce she was throwing them a shower she had some leeway but this was something Richie had refused to budge on. “Several reasons. We don’t actually know the gender, we’ll just know the sex. Eddie doesn’t want some pink or blue paint all over his outfit. And finding out with everyone else? No. That doesn’t sound fun.” 

She hummed. “Counterpoint- we call it sex reveal. And it’s a cake so you just cut into it. And please? We can do it before everyone else arrives, it’ll just be us. Please please please?” 

He sighed, giving in. “Fine, I’ll ask Eddie again. Bill and Audra have to be there too though.” The shower was in a week, the baby due in just under four months. Meredith was finding out tomorrow what the sex was. After much discussion they had decided to adopt regardless of the sex. 

“Yes! You won’t regret it. It’ll be the best cake you’ve ever tasted.”

“Yea Bev, that’s what I care about. The cake flavor.” He replied sarcastically. “I’ve got to go, Georgie just got off the bus.” Richie had changed his work schedule to be home when Georgie got off the bus, most days at least. He liked having some time alone with him. 

“Talk to your lovely husband!” 

“Yea yea yea, love you Bev.” 

“Love you!” 

Richie moved aside a pile of articles that Eddie had printed out to give to Meredith when they saw her again. Eddie had been a charming mess trying to help Meredith. He had bought a dozen books and highlighted portions he thought were relevant, adding post its with his notes. Richie knew he meant well but he was also sure that she didn’t want any more frozen kale smoothies or tips about making sure she carried to term. Richie had made a rule that Eddie needed to run things by him first, before talking to Sarah or Meredith. He had grumbled about it but when Richie pointed to the pile of books, all with colored tabs sticking out in a dozen places, he had relented. 

They had gotten to know Meredith better and had even met her boyfriend. She had been willing to go along with Eddie’s intense schedule, or at least lied and said she did. And she had had a relatively easy and stress free pregnancy so far. Things were working out better than expected. Part of Richie was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to go wrong. He shook his head, trying not to get caught in the loop of worrying. 

“Richie!” Georgie shouted as he came in, “When are we painting?” They were painting the nursery that night. They had picked a neutral green, after much discussion and painting several test swatches. Georgie had insisted in being involved in the whole process, wanting to have input on what his siblings room would look like. He was as excited as they were for the baby. He had been making little books explaining the chickens and their personalities so he could read them to the baby. 

“Once Dad gets home.” Richie said, putting a plate of apple slices in front of him. “What was the best part of your day?” He asked as Georgie slid into a chair at the counter.  

Georgie thought for a minute, chewing on a slice. “We made a really tall tower out of blocks! It was taller than me!” 

“Very cool.” Richie said, leaning his elbow on the counter in front of Georgie. “Hit me.” He said, opening his mouth for Georgie to put a piece of apple in.

Georgie put a slice between his lips then furrowed his brows. “It was cool! Then Alicia knocked it over.” Alicia was a girl from Georgie’s class who often picked on him. Richie and Eddie constantly debated if it was bad enough to talk to the teacher or if they should let the kids handle it. So far, they had been letting Georgie manage it but Eddie got angrier every time something happened. Georgie was still small for his age. That, plus his easy going personality, made him a target for bullies. Richie knew that Eddie had dealt with the same thing as a kid and didn’t want Georgie to suffer like him. 

Georgie was surprisingly calm about the conflict. It clearly bothered him but he was good at shrugging it off and ignoring her. He had better conflict management skills than a lot of adults Richie knew. 

“What did you do?” Richie asked.

“I told her that wasn’t nice. And then I left to play with trucks.” 

Richie ruffled his hair. “That’s perfect.” After Georgie finished his snack both went to change into their painting clothes. Georgie came out in a pair of overalls and a shirt that Eddie had bought from a thrift store specifically for painting. Richie had tried to convince him that they could wear old clothes but when he saw Georgie in them he stopped arguing. They had been reading Tom Sawyer and Georgie insiste on rolling them up and having one strap undone. The overall effect was adorable and Richie had snapped at least a dozen pictures. 

After dinner they started painting, Georgie taking the low corners, Richie taking the top of the walls and Eddie the middle. They all ended up covered in paint, despite their best efforts not to.

“I think you got more paint on yourself than the walls.” Eddie told Richie, looking at his hair, which was covered with green specks. 

“Is it my color?” Richie asked, tossing his hair back.

“Absolutely.” Eddie said, kissing him. He looked at Georgie. “I think someone tapped out.” The boy was curled on a drop cloth, lightly sleeping. 

“I’ve got it.” Richie picked him up, the boy made a soft noise and curled into his chest as Richie carried him. He tucked him in, leaving him in the overalls, and gave him a quick forehead kiss before returning to Eddie.

“I think this looks pretty good.” He said, surveying the room.

Eddie nodded. “It looks ready for a baby.” He smiled at Richie. “Just a few months.”

Richie pulled Eddie to him, Eddie’s back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around him. “Can you believe it?” He asked, tucking his chin on Eddie’s head. 

“Not really.” Eddie said, leaning back into him. “Should we have Meredith over? Once the room is done?”  They constantly debated about how much to include her, wanting her to feel welcome but not wanting to remind her that she was giving up her baby.  She seemed happy they were adopting her baby but got quiet when they brought up future plans or name ideas. They still sent her pictures and emails but had started to refrain from talking about any baby plans. They didn’t want to make it any harder on her. Sarah sent them medical updates and ultrasound photos, which were proudly displayed on the fridge, next to Georgie’s school picture. 

“Let’s ask Sarah.” Richie said. Sarah still hadn’t warmed up to them but she was a good resource. She wanted the best for Meredith and the baby, which was all Richie and Eddie really cared about. 

Eddie nodded, yawning. “Let’s clean this up tomorrow.” Richie said, turning Eddie to him. Eddie gave a tired nod and Richie smiled. “Do you need to get carried to bed too?”

Eddie scoffed. “You can’t carry me.”

“Hey now, I’ve done it before!” Richie replied indignantly. 

“Mm, you were powered by lust then. It’s different.”

“Well now it’s love powered.” Richie grabbed Eddie’s  legs and pulled him up, Eddie’s legs automatically wrapping around his waist. He stumbled slightly but then righted his footing, smiling at his husband. “See? No problem.” Richie said, cupping Eddie’s ass in his hands and giving it a quick squeeze. 

“Yea, let’s wait until you get to the stairs.” Eddie quipped, smiling, his arms around Richie’s shoulders. 

Richie kissed him. “You have no faith in your loving, stunningly attractive husband.” He started to walk slowly. 

“Not in something like this.” 

“Piece of cake.” Richie said as they walked through the living room. 

It wasn’t easy but Richie wasn’t going to admit it. He stumbled a few times but eventually made it to the bed, dropping Eddie on it and falling onto him.

“Hey!” Eddie exclaimed, laughing as Richie made no motion to move.

“Can’t move, too tired. I just carried two humans to bed.” 

Eddie moved a little, looking down at Richie. “Soon you’ll have three humans to carry.” 

Richie nodded, propping his chin on Eddie’s chest. “I can’t wait.” 

“We’ll have diapers, sleepless nights. It’s been so long since I’ve had to do that.” Eddie said, running his hands through Richie’s hair.

“I can’t wait. Baby giggles, trying out accents, watching them learn.” Both paused, thinking about all the changes that were coming. 

“Soon.” Eddie said.

“Soon.” Richie agreed, moving up Eddie’s chest to kiss him. 

\----

“Bev, cut the damn cake.” Richie said, laughing. She had been teasing him all week, sending him pictures of the bakery, of her picking it up, of the kids with the cake. Now it was finally time to cut it and she kept making speeches, and encouraging Bill and Audra to make them too. Admittedly, they were great speeches and they kept making Eddie cry but still, Richie wanted to cut the cake. Georgie was dancing around them, equally excited to find out the sex as he was to eat a slice. 

“But the kids wanted to say something, I’ll just go grab them.” She teased, pretending to leave the room. 

Richie grabbed her arm. “I love you but I will kill you.” He said. “I’ll be very sad and will mourn you after we cut the damn cake.” 

She laughed. “Alright, alright. Here.” She handed them the knife, moving to take pictures as they cut it. 

“Ready?” Richie asked Eddie, putting his hand over Eddie’s. Georgie crawled on a chair next to the cake, eagerly watching. 

“So ready.” Eddie said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. They slowly cut down the cake, excited and apprehensive. 

Bev was wildly snapping pictures as they slotted the piece out. Everyone was holding their breaths. 

“It’s a….” Richie said, looking at the color. He turned to Bev. “It’s fucking purple!” 

“What?” She ran over, looking at the slice. It was definitely purple. A nice light purple.

“Bev,  if this is your idea of a joke...” Richie started, looking from the purple slice to Bev’s face. 

“It’s not! I don’t know what happened!” She looked as surprised as them. 

“Well just tell us the sex then.” Eddie said, “It’s fine.” 

She looked embarrassed. “I don’t know it.” 

“What?” Eddie squeaked. 

“I didn’t look. I wanted to be surprised too!” Everyone groaned. “Wait! I have the paper!” She said, nodding at them for confirmation. 

“G-go get it!” Bill said when she didn’t move. 

“Right!” She jumped up, pulling Ben with her. 

“I can’t believe she didn’t look.” Richie said. “This was the girl who skipped school to snoop around my room for her Christmas presents.” 

“What a disaster.” Eddie said, head in his hands. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to do this.” 

“Dad?” Georgie pulled on Eddie’s sleeve. “Can I have cake now?” 

“Sure buddy.” Eddie slid the piece to Georgie, who happily dug in. He looked at Bill. “Sorry for dragging you to this.” 

Bill shrugged. “N-not a problem for us.” He put an arm around Audra. “S-sorry you got purple cake.” Audra nodded sympathetically.  

Richie was watching as Georgie’s mouth slowly turned purple from the cake and frosting and a chuckle escape him. “What about this is funny?” Eddie asked him, crossing his arms over his chest. He still looked put out and Richie leaned in to kiss his cheek. 

“All of it. We didn’t even want this and now we have a purple cake and a missing piece of paper with the sex? Only to us. It’s completely ridiculous.” Richie said, laughing in earnest now. Bill started chuckling too. “See? It’s funny.”

Eddie remained unhappy for another minute before breaking into a grin. “Okay, fine, it’s funny.” 

Richie kissed Eddie, picking up some of the cake with his fingers and eating it. “At least the cake is good.”

Eddie laughed, picking up some cake with a shrug. “Well, that’s something.” He cut up more slices and handed them to Bill and Audra. “Welcome to our shit show.” 

“H-happy to be here.” Bill said, taking the slice and smiling.

A few minutes later Bev and Ben came peeling back into the room. “We found it!” She said, holding up a rumpled envelope. “It was in the recycling bin in the office. But we found it! Here.” She pushed it into Eddie’s hands. “Open it! Open it!” Richie moved behind Eddie, putting his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. 

Eddie looked up at Richie, who dropped a kiss on his forehead. “Well, let’s find what this kid has between their legs.”

Eddie shook his head as he tore open the envelope, both scanning the document. “It’s a boy!” Eddie squealed, jumping up and down. This was met with a chorus of excitement and awww’s. 

Eddie turned around to Richie. “Ready for baby boy Kaspbrak?” 

“You have no idea.” He said, kissing Eddie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chap was pure fluff. The next one has some more actual plot but I wanted just a cute one of them prepping for the baby. And more with Georgie. 
> 
> I hate gender reveals too but the purple cake thing happened to a friend of mine and that was hilarious. So.


	7. The one with the bad news

“I’m so nervous.” Eddie told Richie.

“I know,” Richie wrapped his husband in his arms. “Me too.”

It was finally time for the baby to come. They had got the text that Meredith was in labor an hour ago. Sarah and Meredith had asked them not come to the hospital until the baby was born, wanting it to just be them as a family for it. While both were disappointed but it made it easier in the long run. Georgie insisted on coming with so this way they didn’t have to keep him entertained while they waited. And Eddie was a nervous wreck, now he couldn’t hover over Meredith. Neither of these facts made the waiting easier.

Richie was forcing himself to stay out of the nursery, being in there just heightened his anxiety.  It had been ready for weeks but both of them kept wandering in and moving small things around, trying to make it perfect for the baby. They had a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals that kept disappearing into Georgie’s room, they would find the boy curled up with them, fast asleep.

Richie broke his rule (again) and looked in, knowing that in a few short hours it would be occupied by a screaming baby. He couldn’t believe it. He was beside himself with excitement. He looked up at the wooden sign Stan and Mike had special ordered for them, with the name they had picked written on it- Asher Stephen Kaspbrak.

Richie loved the name. He loved how it sounded. He loved that it was going to belong to their child. It had taken them a long time to find a name both liked. Eventually they settled on Asher. It meant fortunate, something both of them agreed described how they felt. It had been a long process and a longer wait and now it was nearly over. He smiled, closing the door, and went to find Eddie again. He was in the kitchen, nervously checking labor facts and statistics on his phone.

It was already late but Richie knew that neither of them could sleep and that they needed a distraction. “Should we put on all the James Bond movies and just marathon the hell out of them while we wait?” Richie asked, planting a kiss on Eddie’s hair.

Eddie nodded, grateful for an idea. “Perfect. I’ll make popcorn.” They curled up on the couch together, watching movies while Georgie slept, each constantly checking their phones.

Halfway through ‘You only live twice’ Richie’s phone rang. He leaned over, “It’s Sarah!” He said, putting the call on speakerphone.

“Sarah! Is the baby here?!” He nearly yelled into the phone, unable to contain his enthusiasm. Eddie looked at him, a huge grin on his face. “We can be there in 30 minutes, we timed it.”

She hesitated before answering. “He’s here. Healthy, 7 pounds, 3 ounces. 10 fingers, 10 toes.”

“He’s perfect.” Eddie said, tears already in his eyes. Richie knew they would both be a crying mess when they finally held him. 

“He is.” Sarah agreed, pausing again.

“So, we can come?” Richie asked, trying not to be concerned by her tone.

“No.”

“No?” Richie’s heart rate increased. Was something wrong with the baby? Or Meredith? He and Eddie exchanged concerned glances, thinking the same thing.

“You can’t come. At all.” She took a deep breath. “We decided to, well, we decided to keep him.” Her tone was apologetic but firm.

Richie’s heart plummeted to his stomach. “What?” He asked weakly. "You can't." 

“We’re so sorry. But Meredith has been feeling this way for weeks, since the beginning really, she never wanted to give him up. But we insisted. And now, looking at him, we can’t do it. We can’t ask her to give up her baby, our grandson.”  Her voice was the softest Richie had ever heard it. Sarah was normally all business but he could hear the emotion in her voice, the love and pain. It did absolutely nothing to lessen Richie’s shock and hurt. “We can’t do that to our daughter. I hope you understand.” She paused again. “We’re sorry.” She hung up before Richie could respond.

He stared at the phone, numb with disbelief. Sarah’s words churned in his mind. They were keeping Asher, they were keeping their baby. They would never hold him, never bring him home. He felt anger bubble in his chest.

“What the fuck!” He yelled, throwing his phone down. “They can’t do this!” He stood, pacing around the room. “They signed a contract! He’s ours! That’s our baby!” He yelled, not caring if Georgie heard. “What the fuck! They never said anything about Meredith feeling like this, no inclination at all. Fuck them! They can't keep him!” He realized that Eddie hadn’t said anything during his rant.

He finally looked at his husband. Eddie hadn’t moved, he was staring straight ahead like he hadn’t heard anything Richie said.

“Babe?” Richie asked, concerned. He sat next to him, grabbing Eddie’s hands. “We’ll call Will tomorrow, okay? It’ll be fine. Asher will be home soon.”

Eddie continued staring ahead, Richie could see tears flowing down his cheeks. “We lost our baby.” He said quietly.

“No, no.” Richie grabbed his cheeks, turning Eddie’s face to him. “We’ll get him home, okay? Don’t worry, I’ll fix this. I _promise_.” Richie put as much certainty in his words as he could, needing to believe them as much as Eddie did.

\-----

“What the fuck do you mean?” Richie nearly yelled at Will. “How can that be true?”

Will looked at them apologetically, his hands up. “I’m so sorry. I wish I could do something but I can’t. We talked about this, remember? That this sort of thing happens sometimes. ” His voice was soft, trying to calm Richie down. It wasn’t working. They had been talking for thirty minutes and Richie was fuming.

“This sort of thing meaning people keeping our baby?" Richie asked, irate. Will nodded sadly. "But we had a contract! We paid all her medical bills!” He repeated. He had expected Will to tell them he could fix it, that this happened all the time but not to worry. Instead Will was apologizing, saying there was nothing he could do, saying that they had the legal right to do this.

“It’s revocable until approved by the court. Meredith had 48 hours after the birth to revoke. I’m so sorry.” He did look sorry, his eyes looking at both of them. "We can try to get your money back, if you want."

“It's not about the money!” Richie was furious. He was shaking with anger and disappointment. "You need to do something! They can't just keep him! This is insane! Can't we fight it?" 

He felt a hand on his arm and looked at Eddie. He hadn’t said anything the whole time, just staring down at his hands, but now he gave Richie a loving, sad look, asking him to calm down, to take a breath with his eyes.

“We can’t do anything can we?” Eddie asked, his voice small as he looked up at Will.  The sadness and resignation in his tone hurt Richie more than anything else.

Will shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid not. We can start looking again, when you’re ready.”

Richie opened his mouth to argue again but Eddie responded first. “No.”

“No?” Richie turned to his husband.

“No.” Eddie said, shaking his head. “No more babies. No more looking. I can’t,” He paused, choking up. “I can’t go through this again.” He looked up at Richie, his eyes wet with unshed tears. “Babe, I _can’t_.”

Richie nodded, his anger dissipating as he saw how downcast Eddie was. “Okay, hun, okay.” He turned to Will. “Thank you. We’ll call you later.” He stood, taking Eddie’s hand and leading them out.

“We’ll get our baby.” He told Eddie once they were outside. “We’ll take some time and then we can try again.” He was sure that Eddie didn’t mean what he said, after everything they had gone through. This was a set back- an enormous, heart wrenching one- but that didn’t mean they just gave up.

Eddie looked up at him. “No Richie, I’m tired. I’m just, tired. I can’t do this again. I can’t. _Please_. I can't." 

Richie looked at his husband, taking in his appearance. Eddie did look tired. His normally neat appearance was crumpled, his shirt untucked. He looked worn, like paper that had been folded and unfolded too many times. Richie knew he hadn’t eaten since they got the news, he kept waving Richie off, insisting he was fine. He had dark rings under his eyes. In short, he looked terrible. Richie’s heart broke, realizing that he was focused on the wrong thing. This was about them, he couldn't focus on what they had lost, even if it killed him to think about just giving up. 

So he nodded, agreeing to give up on their dream, for now at least. “Of course, we don’t have to try again.” He didn’t know what else to say. What did you say in a situation like this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. This was the plan from the beginning but its not easier.  
> This is legal- in WA birth parents can revoke consent anytime before it’s approved by the court, within 48 hours of the birth of the child. It’s even trickier when it’s a surrogacy. So, sad but not rare?  
> So, sorry.  
> (And yes, some of you are very clever and guessed something bad was coming. You win the sad prize of being totally right.)


	8. The one with the bake sale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “One more thing, you want to know what I think about your horseshit opinion?” He threw the tray on the ground, the bars flying everywhere. “It’s as terrible as your bars! Use real lemon Carrie! They taste like fucking lysol!”

Nearly two weeks later and Eddie was still subdued. He refused to talk to Richie, or anyone else, about it and had been baking out his feelings again. Richie was a hit at the office, he had been bringing in muffins, cookies or scones every day. 

“Hun, what should we do this weekend? There’s a children’s festival we could take Georgie to?” Richie asked as Eddie made dinner, trying to get him to engage with them with little success. 

“Sure, that’d be fine.” Eddie’s voice was flat. Unlike with Georgie, Eddie didn’t try to pretend he was okay with Richie. With Georgie he tried to keep some pep in his voice, with Richie’s it was emotionless. He didn’t even sound pained anymore, it was like he didn’t feel anything. 

Telling Georgie had been hard. He seemed to understand when they told him but since then kept asking when they were bringing his brother home. Richie saw tears spring to Eddie’s eyes every time he asked. 

“I’ll get Georgie for dinner.” Richie said, when Eddie didn’t add anything else. He had been trying to pull Eddie out of his funk but he was getting tired. It was hard to support Eddie when he was having the same feelings. He still expected Sarah to call them and say Meredith changed her mind, though it felt less likely as days passed. 

He had told their friends, Eddie had said he couldn’t. Bev offered to take him out drinking, or to watch Georgie if they needed it. Stan and Mike said they would fly out, if it would help. Richie wasn’t sure. He didn’t know what they needed- but hearing that their friends there for them helped Richie feel less alone. When he told Eddie he just grunted. 

At dinner Eddie pushed the food around on his plate, not engaged in the conversation until Georgie brought up the bake sale. 

“It’s on Monday and we need to bake something and I said we’d make brownies because dad makes the best brownies!” Georgie was excitedly telling Richie.

“Dad does make the best brownies.” Richie agreed, reaching over to pat Eddie’s arm. “Are you up for making a couple dozen brownies?”

“Huh?” Eddie asked, pulling himself out of his daze. “Brownies? Sure.” 

The weekend went along those lines. On Saturday, Georgie helped Eddie make the brownies and Richie saw a few earnest smiles. He tried to capitalize on it, taking all of them out for a picnic lunch on Sunday. Eddie seemed to be doing better- until they came home and he saw the closed nursery door. Then he had begged off a puzzle, taking a nap instead. 

Richie set up a movie for Georgie and called Bev, needing to talk to someone. She already knew what was going on but he filled her in on the day. “That sucks Richie, I know Eddie is hurting but he needs to be there for you too.” She was never one to beat around the bush. 

He sighed. “What do I do? I don’t want to push him but Bev, I feel like I’m alone here.” 

“Give him another couple days, maybe he just need to feel it. But then make him talk. He can’t keep pushing you away.” She paused. “And I love you Richie, you know we’re always here.” He thanked her, hanging up after. He resolved to give Eddie until Wednesday to open up. Richie needed his partner in this, and Eddie needed him, even if he didn’t want to admit it. 

Monday night they went to the bake sale. Richie and Georgie were walking around the small gym, debating what to buy, when he heard a commotion at their table. He turned and saw that Eddie was in a heated argument with someone. 

“Georgie, can you go hang out with Steve?” Richie pointed to Georgie’s best friend, Steve, and his dad. 

“Why is dad yelling?” The boy asked, looking up at Richie with worried eyes.

“Don’t know buddy, but I’ll find out.” He gently turned Georgie to his friend. “You go that way, okay?” The boy nodded and started walking, throwing a look over his shoulder as he did. 

Richie went over to Eddie. As he got closer he saw who Eddie was arguing with, Alicia’s mom, the girl who picked on Georgie. They were clearly mid-discussion and Richie wondered how much he had missed. Eddie’s fists were curled at his sides and he was barely containing his fury. “I can see where your daughter gets her charm from.” He spat, glaring at her. 

Richie placed a hand on his shoulder, letting Eddie know he was there. 

The woman- Carrie? -gave a short, derisive laugh. Richie looked her over and decided he hated her. Her outfit screamed ‘I’m better than you’ from her diamond tennis bracelet to designer high heels. “At least my daughter isn’t the class weirdo. What kind of parent lets their boy go to school in a dress?”

Richie stiffened at that one. He remembered when Georgie came home from school that day in tears because Alicia had teased him for wearing it on a dress up day. 

“Someone who wants their kid to be happy with who he is.” Eddie snapped back. Richie could knew Eddie was furious, his shoulders were tense and the vein in his forehead was throbbing. Nothing set him off like someone being mean to Georgie. It was the only time Richie ever saw him really get mad. 

She made a dismissive noise. “Or wants their kid to be a freak. Look,” She spread her fingers out patronizingly, “I’m fine with you two being gay. It’s great for diversity. But pushing it on your boy? It’s really not appropriate.” 

Richie’s eyes widened, he opened his mouth to reply but Eddie was quicker. “You  _ bitch _ .” He snarled at her and Richie was worried he would have to hold him back. But Eddie continued, “Our son will grow up to be happy, and know that he’s loved. Alicia will grow up to be like you, cruel, spiteful and full of hate. How can you honestly act like you’re better than us?” He scoffed. “You’re just a small minded simpleton.” 

Carrie looked aghast, her mouth was hanging open and her hand on her chest. She started to respond but Eddie threw up a hand. “Don’t you dare.” He said, venom in his voice. Her mouth snapped shut and Eddie started to turn away but turned back, apparently deciding he wasn’t done. 

He picked up the lemon bars she had brought. “One more thing, you want to know what I think about your horseshit opinion?” He threw the tray on the ground, the bars flying everywhere. “It’s as terrible as your bars! Use real lemon Carrie! They taste like fucking lysol!” 

The shock in her face nearly made Richie laugh but he held it in, instead taking Eddie shoulders and turning him away. “Time to go.” He said to Eddie quietly. He could tell that Eddie was contemplating saying more. “You won.” He rubbed Eddie’s shoulders as they walked back to Georgie, trying to calm him down. He could hear Carrie complaining loudly behind them but no one followed. Eddie was quaking with anger. 

“I can’t believe I did that.” Eddie finally said, once they were out of earshot. He looked up at Richie, eyes wide with disbelief. “Why did I do that?” He was clearly shocked that he had said all of it outloud. 

Richie kissed him. “Because she’s a bitch. And you’re a total badass. My badass. That was amazing.”

They reached the boys, and Steve’s dad, Mark. “Eddie, you are going down in bakesale history for sure.” Mark said, looking over their shoulders at the mess. “That was something else.” 

“I can’t believe I did that. I’m so embarrassed.” Eddie blushed as he looked behind him. Carrie and her lackeys were glaring at him. “Should I go apologize?” He asked, turning back to  them. 

“No!” Both exclaimed.

“Babe, no.” Richie said, rubbing circles into Eddie’s back. “She attacked Georgie. She was awful.” 

Eddie nodded slowly. “Okay.” He took a deep breath. “I just, I don’t know what came over me.” 

Mark shrugged. “Maybe you needed it.” He looked at the boys, who were happily playing with toys. “Why don’t we take Georgie tonight? You two look like you need a night out.”

Eddie started to protest but Richie interrupted, squeezing Eddie’s shoulders. “We’d love that. Thank you.” 

“Not a problem. Enjoy it.” He flashed them a grin. “That was really amazing Eddie, you better hope that Georgie has that fire too.” 

Richie grabbed their coats as Eddie talked to Georgie. A few parents shot him glares but more of them flashed him smiles or thumbs up. 

“You’re famous.” He told Eddie as they walked to the car. “That was epic.”

“It was idiotic. I have to apologize.” He said, kicking a rock. 

Richie stopped him, putting his hands on Eddie’s shoulders. “Like hell you will. You were right! She’s a bitch- and those bars are awful.”

Eddie gave him a small smile. “They really are.”

Richie kissed Eddie quickly, leaving his face close to his husband’s. “The worst.” He kissed Eddie again. “I had no idea you had such a dramatic streak. It’s so sexy.”

Eddie looked up at him, slightly blushing. “Really?”

He nodded. “Hell yea, you might need to throw a pie next year. Up your game.” 

Eddie shook his head then kissed Richie. “Thank you. You’ve been, you always are, amazing.” He paused, looking at Richie like he saw him for the first time. His next words were strained and tumbled out of his mouth.  “I’m sorry I shut you out. It just hurt so much, losing the baby.” His voice cracked and he paused. “But you didn’t deserve that. I should have been there for you. You were there for me.” He ducked his head, ashamed. “I don’t have an excuse, I was awful to you. I’d understand if you’re angry with me.” 

Richie pulled him into a tight hug. He had never been mad at Eddie but he didn’t know how much he needed the apology until he heard it.  He felt something shift in his chest, the pain of the last few weeks receding as he held Eddie. “I’m not mad at you.” He said, and he felt Eddie relax a little. “But you can’t shut me out again, we’re in this together. Next time there may not be a bake sale for you to release your anger at.”

Eddie chuckled and looked up at Richie. “I’m so sorry.” 

“I know. I forgive you.” Richie bent down, leaving a light kiss on his lips. 

Eddie audibly exhaled at Richie’s words. “I’m not sure I deserve you. I love you.”

“Oh, you definitely don’t deserve me.” Richie said, pulling something out from his bag. “Georgie and I snagged the last of Mrs. Henderson’s molasses cookies for you.” 

“Oh!” Eddie grabbed the bag from Richie, stuffing one in his mouth and moaning. “These are so good. I was looking for them before, you know.” 

Richie laughed, taking one for himself. “I know.” He ate his cookie, smiling as Eddie took two more. “I love you too. Don’t worry, I can think of plenty of ways you can make it up to me. Starting with a date night.”

Eddie nodded, grabbing Richie’s hand. “Absolutely.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that the last chap was rough and I’m sorry but...I delivered on the promise of some bake sale drama. So. I hope you liked it (because I did. And I want more scenes of Eddie flipping baked goods)


	9. The one with the slow dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sometime you have to open them so they can heal.”
> 
> Eddie gave him a small smile. “You sound like a wise old wizard.”

They went out for dinner and then back home for much needed alone time. They talked around losing the baby, neither ready to bring something like that up. Richie felt better, just knowing they were talking again. Eddie seemed better too, he gave Richie a few earnest smiles and pulled him down for long kisses. It felt like Richie had his partner back. 

Around 2am Richie woke up, noticing unhappily that Eddie wasn’t in his arms. He padded downstairs, looking for his husband. Eddie was sitting at their breakfast bar, illuminated by the light of his laptop, soft music coming from the speakers. 

He perked up as Richie entered. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Richie curled himself on Eddie’s back, arms wrapping around Eddie, Eddie leaned back into him. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.” He placed a soft kiss on Eddie’s neck. “What are you looking at?” 

“Trying to see how other people got over something like this.” Eddie showed him the tabs he had open. “I want to move past this, I don’t want to be angry. You and Georgie don’t deserve that.” He sounded sad and disappointed in himself. 

“You will move past it, it’s okay to feel it though hun.” Richie told him. He didn’t want Eddie to get stuck in another loop, where he felt bad about how he had treated them. Richie was ready to move past it, to hopefully figure out next steps, if there were any. He didn’t know if Eddie was still against adopting completely, he couldn’t bring himself to ask because he was afraid of the answer. 

“I know,” Eddie said quietly. “I just hate myself for how I handled it.” 

Richie kissed Eddie’s cheek. “I don’t. And I don’t think you should either.” 

Eddie turned so he was facing Richie. “I love you. I’m sorry I shut you out. I was just so angry. And I thought it was better if I was quiet about it. But I was wrong.” Eddie said it quickly, like he was worried he’d back out otherwise. 

Richie leaned in, letting their foreheads touch. “You let me in eventually. That’s what I care about. But you know you can always talk to me. I was hurting too, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to.” Richie didn’t want him to feel bad but he needed to be honest. Eddie’s behavior had hurt him and if they were going to have this conversation he needed Eddie to know. 

Eddie’s eyes were on him as he nodded slowly. “I was unfair. And selfish. It hurt so much. It was so sudden and heartbreaking. I wanted to be numb. Talking about it felt like tearing the wound open again.” He paused. “I’m not defending it, just explaining how I felt.” 

Richie moved, sitting next on the stool next to Eddie. “Sometime you have to open them so they can heal.”

Eddie gave him a small smile. “You sound like a wise old wizard.” He nodded, agreeing with Richie’s statement.  “I know that now. Thank you for waiting for me to be ready.”

Richie grabbed Eddie’s hand, kissing his palm. “We all deal with loss in different ways. But I’d like it if you dealt with it differently.” 

“I’ll try. I really will.”

Richie played with his fingers, looking happily at Eddie. Any anger he felt was gone. He knew Eddie understood what he had said and that he would try harder next time- and Richie promised himself that he wouldn’t let Eddie cocoon himself in his unhappiness again. It didn’t help either of them. 

“That’s all I ask.” Richie told him. 

Eddie smiled, leaning over to kiss Richie. “When did you get so good at this?” He asked, moving back but leaving his hand in Richie’s. 

Richie thrust his chin at the computer. “I did that same search, last week.” 

Eddie chuckled. “Well, look at you. What did you find?” 

So Richie explained while Eddie listened. About loss, grief and moving on. Both finally cried for the baby they lost. They talked through how it felt while they held each other. Part of Richie wished that they had done this weeks ago but mostly he was grateful that they were doing it now. 

“I feel lighter.” Eddie said once they had finally said everything they needed to. He was leaning against Richie, his head on Richie’s chest. 

“Me too.” Richie kissed his hair. 

Richie recognized the song on Eddie’s computer and stood, pulling Eddie with him. “It’s our song.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes, “This is not our song.” He protested but he allowed himself to be pulled up and into Richie’s arms. 

Richie put his hands on Eddie’s hips, gently squeezing them as Eddie’s went around his neck. “Beg to differ! Just because you don’t like how we picked it doesn’t mean it’s not ours.” He started singing, kissing Eddie’s cheeks and lips as he did. “The sweet caress of twilight, there’s magic in the air.” 

Eddie chuckled, putting his head on Richie’s chest. “Fine, fine, it’s our song.”

“Can you feel the love tonight, the peace the evening brings.” He crooned into Eddie’s ear, pulling him closer. 

\----

It was just over a month before the wedding, most of the details had been decided, and Richie was feeling good about it. At least, until Eddie had looked up from his wedding notebook in a slight panic. “Richie! We don’t have a song! We need a song for our first dance!”

Richie, who had been eating breakfast, shrugged. “We’ll just pick, like, The Way you Look tonight. It’s a classic.” 

Eddie had screwed up his face. “No! We need a song! It’s how we introduce ourselves as a married couple!” 

Richie looked at him, knowing that Eddie had picked up the phrase from one of the wedding blogs he followed. “Okay, what do you want then?”

His fiance huffed. “We can’t just pick one, it has to mean something! It’s supposed to be the first song we ever danced to, or the one we fell in love over.” 

Richie nodded, willing to let Eddie run with this. “Well I think the first song we danced to was ‘It’s Raining Men’ but I’m guessing you don’t want that one.” Eddie glared at him, not enjoying his joke. “And I fell in love with you on the bus.” He thought for a second. “What about Wheels on the bus?!” He asked excitedly. “We’d be a hit with the pre-K crowd.” 

Eddie sighed heavily, giving Richie a long suffering look. “I love you but you’re useless. Just, try to think of a romantic one?” He asked, looking back down at his to-do list. 

“Sure babe.” 

The next day Richie and Georgie were practicing piano with disney songs. Georgie was getting better, he had raw enthusiasm on his side but now he was finally learning the notes and how they played together. Every time he played a tune he would look over at Richie, beside himself with excitement that he had played actual music. 

Eddie appeared in the doorframe, listening to them. “Dad! Listen!” Georgie had played the first few notes of ‘Can you feel the love tonight’ on the keyboard. 

“That’s beautiful kiddo.” Eddie had walked in, ruffling Georgie’s hair before putting his arms around Richie. 

Richie had started the full song on youtube, both of them singing it to Eddie. “Let’s dance!” Georgie insisted, pulling them into a weird three way slow dance until Richie picked him up, cradling him between him and Eddie. Georgie kept singing as Eddie and Richie shared a small smile. 

_ Stealing through the night's uncertainties, Love is where they are... _

Eddie looked at Richie, happily sighing. “You have to admire Sir John’s style.” 

Richie laughed, “How did you ever think you were straight?” He kissed Eddie, then Georgie. As he set Georgie down he had a thought, “What about this?” Eddie cocked his head. “For our song. I mean, Georgie already knows it. That has to be a plus.”

“A disney song?” Eddie asked skeptically. “Are we those people?” 

Richie nodded, pulling Eddie close again, “I think we are.” 

Eddie let himself fall into Richie. “Works for me.” They had danced to it at the wedding, Georgie sandwiched between them again. 

\----

The song ended and Eddie looked up at Richie. “I want to try again.”

“What?” Richie asked, confused by the lack of sleep. 

“Another baby. Let’s try it. But less restrictions. I think I want to adopt internationally. I was reading about it and, well, what do you think?” The words tumbled out and Eddie looked up at him nervously. 

Richie smiled down at his husband. “Are you sure?” 

Eddie nodded. “I’m sure.” 

“Hell yes. I’m in.” Richie said, pulling Eddie into another long kiss. “I’m so in.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picking out the song took me forever. I listened to so many old loves songs and then I was like ‘duh, they have a disney song as their song. It’s perfect’ I almost picked a whole new world but I thought that would be opening the door for way too many sex jokes from Richie. 
> 
> Also, I lowkey think of Stan and Mike as Timon and Pumba.


	10. THE ONE WITH THE BABY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’re going to be your dads.” Richie told her softly. “We’ve been waiting a long time for you."

“Finally. No more planes for a while.” Eddie muttered, looking a little green as he stood from his seat.

Richie smiled at his husband, pulling him down for a quick kiss. “But we’re here! It’s worth it.” He reminded Eddie. 

Eddie nodded tiredly at him, giving him a small smile. “You’re right it is.” He squeezed Richie’s hand before grabbing their carry ons. Richie unbuckled the sleeping Georgie and picked him up, following Eddie off the plane.  

One year, two planes and many, many forms and applications later they were in Beijing to meet their baby. They were spending three weeks in China, getting to know her and to make sure they’d be a good fit for each other.  Both Eddie and Richie were filled with trepidation. Since the incident with Meredith they were more guarded, cautious. Richie hated it but it felt necessary. They didn’t want to get excited only to be let down again. It was too devastating. 

So they had been taking steps to protect themselves. They started going to a group with other people who had adopted from overseas. Hearing their stories helped, both the successes and the failures. Eddie had opened up about his disappointment and the pain from losing the first baby. It had lead to a lot of tears but, as time passed, they cried less and looked more, exploring their options. Going into the nursery was still difficult. It had taken Eddie a few months to go in but now it was repainted and ready for their new baby. 

Assuming everything went well on this trip. In the back of Richie’s head he was still partially convinced that someone would jump out and tell them that she was gone, that someone else had adopted her. He wasn’t sure he could handle that disappointment again. 

He knew that Eddie couldn’t. Eddie had been open about his fears, making a real effort not to shut Richie out again. It wasn’t always easy to hear or talk about but both needed to. It was good for them, it had made them stronger as a couple. Richie was proud of how far they had come. Eddie had a lot of anxiety about this trip and had nearly insisted they back out a month ago, only calming down once Richie had talked to him for a few hours. 

Now they were here and it was happening. Eddie was still worried that she wouldn’t like them, or that they wouldn’t feel a connection but, if Richie was being honest with himself, he had already made up his mind.  He had the minute he saw her little face peering at them from her file. She was from a farming province and had been found off a main road, presumably abandoned. She had been at the agency since and was now around 8 months old.The agency had made her Mo, which meant free of sadness. Georgie thought it was the best name ever and was constantly asking about his little sister Mo. Eddie and Richie had agreed to keep that as her middle name, if they adopted her. They had been able to skype with her a few times, Eddie had fallen in love with her laugh and Richie loved her gurgles. They had spent many nights talking about bringing her home, incorporating her into their family. 

Both spoke in ‘ifs’ and ‘maybes’ about Mo. But Richie knew how he felt, and he was pretty sure Eddie felt the same. Richie had seen him holding her photos when he thought Richie wasn’t looking, a small smile on his face. Both of them were already in love with her, even if neither wanted to admit it. 

Even now, as they exited the plane Richie knew both were being careful not to be excited. They wanted to be but Richie knew that Eddie was scared about celebrating early, about still having this ripped away. It still felt too much like last time. 

“Ready to meet our baby?” Richie asked as they walked to pick up their bags. 

Eddie nodded, “I think so.” Richie could tell how nervous he was. He was trying not to fidget but it was coming through in small gestures, like how he played with the cuff of his sweater, or chewing on his lip. 

Richie nudged him with his shoulder and smiled when he looked up. He wanted to grab his hand but between carrying Georgie and a backpack it was impossible. “No matter what, we have each other.” He reminded Eddie. “I love you.” 

Eddie nodded, smiling up at Richie. “I love you too. You’re right. It’s just-” He sighed, looking around. “I want to enjoy this. But I can’t until after tomorrow.”

“I know, I understand.” They had had this conversation at least a dozen times. Every time ending with both of them agreeing that whatever happened it was worth it. If nothing else, it was their first international family trip and that was a big deal. 

They gathered their luggage and went to the hotel. Luckily, it was evening when they landed so they could just go to sleep. Georgie half woke up once in the taxi, staring out the window and asking questions about China. He had insisted on learning about Mo’s country and had been a strong force for them to learn about the country and customs. Richie was proud of Georgie for wanting to learn, he had even learned a few simple Chinese phrases that he wanted to try on Mo. 

Richie woke up the next morning to Georgie crawling on him. “Dads, I’m hungry.” The boy said, poking Richie’s legs. Even though Georgie was getting older- he had turned seven recently- he wasn’t any less affectionate. He still loved crawling in their laps and being cuddled between them whenever they watched movies. Richie tried to prepare himself for the day that he didn’t want to be cuddled anymore but for now he soaked it in. 

Richie rolled over and opened his eyes, grabbing Georgie and pulling him between them in a big hug. “Hi hungry, I’m Richie.” Georgie giggled and nestled between them. 

“It’s funnier every time.” Eddie said, also waking up. He looked at the time then to Georgie. “The breakfast buffet should be open now, we can get dressed and go.”

So they did, Georgie continued his train of thought from last night and peppered them with questions the whole time, asking about China, the history and his new sister. He was much too peppy for his pre-coffee dads but they tried to answer all of his questions.

“When are we going to meet her?” Georgie asked as they finished eating. Richie was impressed that it was the first time he had asked that one. 

Eddie glanced at his watch. “We’ve got a few hours. Let’s shower and explore, then we can go over to the agency.” Richie heard the anxiety in his voice. He was trying to hide it but it came through in the tightness of his tone. He found Eddie’s hand, sliding it into his own and squeezing it. 

“We’re here, we’ve made it this far.” Richie reminded him, leaning down to whisper into Eddie’s ear. 

Eddie looked up at him, kissing Richie. “We are, we did.” Richie smiled at him before pulling him up and back to their room.

Richie could tell that Eddie was distracted as they wandered around the Forbidden City, Georgie still asking them a million questions but Eddie’s answers were shorter now, not unkind just unfocused. Richie was starting to feel anxious too, now that it was nearly time. He tried to stave it off by focusing on Georgie, taking a ridiculous number of photos of him, and all of them. 

Finally, it was time to go to the agency, which was a small brick building. They were greeted warmly and lead to a small room, where someone was sitting. “Hello, I’m Bai, we spoke on the phone.” An older man said, standing to shake their hands “I’ll be here for your first meeting with Mo, but if this goes well I won’t need to be here next time.” 

Eddie nodded for a little too long and Richie squeezed his forearm, trying to be reassuring. “Thank you.” Richie said, butterflies in his stomach. 

Bai nodded, “I’ll go fetch Mo.” He stood and left. Silence filled the room. Richie didn’t know what to say, they were finally meeting her. It still felt like something would go wrong. Like they’d be ushered out or told it was an elaborate, cruel prank. 

Eddie was nervously playing with his coat, fingering a hole in it. Georgie was looking at the photos in the room, all of new parents with their baby. “Will we be up here?” He asked, pointing at the photos.

“Hopefully bud.” Richie said, giving him a half smile. He was glad that Georgie was there, he prevented both of them from getting too much in their own heads. His excitement helped reminded Richie that this was a happy event, and to focus on that.

The door opened and both Richie and Eddie leapt up. Bai was back, holding a small bundle. 

“This is her.” He said, showing them the small infant within. She was awake, watching them intently with her dark brown eyes. She had a crop of jet black hair, a stark contrast to her light skin. Richie and Eddie both stared at her. “Do you want to hold her?” Bai asked when neither spoke. 

“Yes!” Richie said, recovering. Bo handed him the baby. She was alert, observing their movements. He could tell she was a little small for her age but she seemed quick, her eyes taking them in and her mouth forming small sounds. 

“Hi baby.” Richie said, too choked up to say anything else. He felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he peered down at her. He held his other hand over her and she grabbed it, her little fingers wrapping around his large ones. He looked at Eddie and saw that he was crying too, watching their interaction. 

“She’s just learning to talk now. And she’s a great crawler.” Bai told them, watching happily. 

Eddie nodded, still focused on her. “Hi there Mo, I’m Eddie.” Richie chuckled at the formality and Eddie glared at him briefly before continuing. “We’re going to…” He stopped, too overcome with emotion to finish. 

“We’re going to be your dads.” Richie told her softly. “We’ve been waiting a long time for you. I’ve got someone else for you to meet.” He said, turning to Georgie, who was patiently hanging back, bouncing on his feet. 

\------

“Just be  _ careful  _ with her Richie!” Eddie squeaked at Richie as he hoisted the baby carrier. “You can’t handle her like she’s a sack of potatoes!” 

Richie turned to his husband. “Look, babe, I love you more than anything. More than Prince loved purple, more than Madonna loved that weird pointy bra. But if you tell me to be careful one more time I swear I’ll…”

He was cut off by Eddie walking around the car and kissing him square on the lips. Richie forgot the rest of his sentence, letting himself get lost in the kiss.

Eddie moved back after a second and looked at his husband, his hands on Richie’s waist. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I just,” He glanced down at their baby, “I’m still so worried that something is going to happen to Asha.” They had decided on the name after their second day with her. It meant ‘hope’ in sanskrit and neither of them could think of anything more fitting for her. When they had told Stan and Mike both had insisted on getting them a new sign for her room, promising it would be there when they got home. 

Richie pulled Eddie into a hug, kissing his hair. “We’re home, with her. It’s over. You can breath.” The time in China had gone amazingly well. After the first meeting there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was meant for them. She was the missing piece they had been searching for. 

Eddie took a long breath and nodded. “You’re right.” He looked at Georgie, who was asleep in the car. They had just gotten back from the airport. The plane ride home was eventful, to say the least, Georgie had a head cold and was cranky, Asha couldn’t pop her ears and cried for most of the trip. They had spent the time juggling the two kids, trading off walking with her and cuddling with him. It was a chaotic mess. 

And Richie loved it. On the plane, he kept pausing to look at Asha, amazed that she was theirs, that she was coming home with him.  He’d hold Georgie, in disbelief that he got to help raise the tenacious, intelligent little boy. And he’d stop and kiss Eddie, wondering how he got so lucky. Their little family felt complete and he was overjoyed.  

“We’re home.” Eddie said, turning to their house. 

“All of us.” Richie told him, scooping up Asha again. “And all of our shit.”

Eddie laughed. They had ended up with an abundance of souvenirs from China, unable to deny Georgie anything he asked for. It was their first trip as a family and, even though Asha wouldn’t remember it, they would and that was enough of an incentive to buy a variety of items. 

They had suitcase full of cookbooks. Eddie was determined to learn traditional Chinese cooking and had even bought a wok. Georgie was equally excited about cooking, which meant they also acquired a variety of kids cookbooks and tools. That, plus gifts for everyone, meant their suitcases were overweight and they had to pay extra. Both had looked at each other and smiled, “Worth it.” Eddie had told Richie, who happily nodded.

Being in China with two kids hadn’t been easy. Neither were used to juggling everything that a baby and boy needed. There had been several false starts for the first few days, when one of them had to run back up to the hotel room to grab something. But they were learning. They learned what her babbles indicated, a mixture of Chinese and baby talk. They learned her cries, what each meant. And they learned how to make her smile, she already loved Richie’s singing and his voices, much to Eddie’s chagrin. She liked being on Eddie’s hip. And she adored her brother, who constantly insisted on carrying her.

Richie took Asha inside, unlocking the front door to their house. “Well kiddo, this is your house. We’re pretty fond of it, hopefully you will be too.” He waited for Eddie to come in, holding a slowly waking Georgie and turned to him, “Should we show her her room?”

Eddie nodded, watching as Richie took her out of her carseat. She was awake now, looking around with her bright eyes. They walked to the nursery- a place which, for a while, had held so much pain. Now, they got to walk into it with their new baby. Richie put her down and she started crawling, picking up everything within reach.

Georgie followed her, explaining what all the toys were. She immediately went for a stuffed turtle and Georgie turned to them, “She likes turtles too! She really is my sister.”

Richie snaked an arm around Eddie, kissing the top of his head. “She sure is bud.” 

Eddie put an arm around Richie, leaning into him. “She’s home Richie. Our baby is home.”

Richie squeezed his waist before moving to sit on the floor with their kids. Mo crawled over to him, depositing toys in his lap.

“We still need to get everything from the car.” Eddie told him.

Richie grabbed his hand, pulling Eddie down next to him. “Later. Right now, our kids need some attention.”

Eddie smiled, kissing Richie. “Our kids. I really like how that sounds.”

Richie put his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “Me too Eds, me too.” They sat, watching the two interact, Asha pulling toys off shelves and Georgie following her, trying to convince her to play with him.

\------

“I just want to get one picture of her with the cake!” Eddie was telling everyone, urging them to be patient. Richie was holding a knife, waiting to cut the larger cake that Eddie had made. 

“Hun, just start snapping pictures. And give her the cake!” Richie said, pointing to Asha, who was reaching and grunting for the small smash cake that Eddie held. It was in the shape of a turtle, bright green and a simple shell pattern. Eddie had made two cakes, one for Asha to smash and eat and one for everyone else to celebrate with.

Eddie looked at Richie, then at their guests, obviously a little disappointed but nodding. “Okay, fine.” He gave Asha the cake and she immediately grabbed it, pushing her small hands in and tearing it apart. Everyone was snapping pictures- with the exception of Stan who was busy explaining to Samantha that she would be getting cake but that the small one was only for Asha.

Richie tore his gaze away from the happy, cake smashing Asha and started to cut the regular cake, giving Samantha the first piece. She happily ran to the kid’s table, digging in. Georgie and the other kids soon followed, comparing slice sizes. 

“Can you believe she’s a year old?” Bev asked, putting a head on Richie’s shoulder as she ate her cake. 

“No, I can’t believe how fast the time has gone.” The last few months had required a lot of adjustments in schedules and life in general. Eddie had cut back at work, trying to open his own bakery and to be home with Asha. Georgie had started soccer and dance, which required more running around and frequent time crunches. There were some weeks that Richie felt like he didn’t see Eddie for more than a quick morning kiss then briefly as they fell into bed at night. Sometimes it was a lot, he missed spending lazy Saturdays with Eddie, but then Georgie would crawl on their laps, or Asha would giggle at something and he was instantly reminded how worth it it was, how lucky he was. 

Bev smiled at him. “Never thought you’d be here. Married homeowner with two kids.”

“And chickens.”

She laughed. “And chickens.” She threw a look over her shoulder, watching her kids and Georgie outside in the treehouse. “Are you happy Richie?”

Richie watched as Eddie tried to clean Asha off, really only managing to get himself covered in green frosting as her small hands squished his face. Richie chuckled as Eddie frowned but then gave in, kissing her as she wiped her hands on his shirt. 

“Deliriously so Bev.”  He smiled at her before walking over to Eddie. He put his fingertips under Eddie’s chin and tipped his head up, planting a lingering kiss on Eddie’s lips and tasting the frosting that Asha had wiped on them. 

“What was that for?” Eddie asked, still holding a very messy and squirming baby.

“I missed those sweet lips.” Eddie scoffed and Richie smiled. “Wanted you to know I love you.” 

Eddie looked up at him, relaxing a little as he did. “Love you too.” He looked at Asha then outside at Georgie, sighing happily. “We did pretty well, huh?” 

Richie nodded, snaking an arm around Eddie. “Hell yes we did.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF. I regret nothing. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading and taking time to comment! I hoped you liked the end! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I have a tumblr, if you want to say hi- @tinyarmedtrex 
> 
> Headcannons!!!!!  
> have so many headcanons for this. I’ve spent a lot of time with these guys. I have enough HC for the wedding that I should have just written the damn fic (I might post them on tumblr? That feels like a good spot for them). 
> 
> -They weren’t planning on taking a honeymoon, too much money and they didn’t know what Georgie would do. A week before the wedding Bev told them that her and & Ben were watching Georgie for the week after the wedding so the ‘two lovebirds could do something (even if it's just fucking in the house)’. Given the short notice they decided to do a road trip around Washington, stopping at every pie house they saw and taking pictures with all the weird tourist traps.  
> -At the wedding they decided to let anyone who wanted give a speech. Ben read an original poem. Stan roasted both of them. Bill read a passage from his favorite book. But Bev & Mike were disasters. Both were drunk and tried to give long sweet speeches but instead Mike’s was about Richie in high school and the time he tripped down four flights of stairs. And Bev tried to sing but ended up crying her eyes out halfway through. Ben had to collect her.  
> -Georgie is in a sweet little Montessori school that Richie teased Eddie about for a few weeks until Eddie quietly said ‘I can afford this. I want the best for him. He deserves it.’ After that Richie only said good things about it. He’s trying to convince Bev to put her kids in it too.  
> -Mike and Stan picked one of Stan’s cousins as the birth mother and used Mike’s sample so she’s an adorable dark skinned baby with crazy curly hair.  
> -Georgie insists that the chickens lay better when they’re sung to. He routinely cajoles Richie into bringing his keyboard outside and singing to them. Georgie joins in with the lyrics he knows, or makes some up.  
> -Richie and Eddie have custom ringtones for each other. Richie changes his for Eddie constantly. Leading up to the wedding he had ‘White Wedding’ and ‘I think I’m gonna marry you’. The current, and longest running, song is ‘My Humps’, much to Eddie’s chagrin. Eddie set his to ‘I’ll Stand By you’ when they moved in together and has never changed it.


End file.
